Sounding simultaneously natural and digital, Lazarev has expertly blended field recordings and atmospheres with his warm, synthesized compositions resulting in the feeling of one, fluid, organic whole rather than separate elements and layers fighting for space.
Subtle tonal shifts and attention to detail
In his own words, Mike Lazarev has described wanting to convey his new album as being “present with time, a meditative state,” as opposed to previous releases which have been more concerned with “entering time, exiting time, and finding yourself within time”. He can be safe in the knowledge he’s managed to achieve this, and whether conscious or not, offers something which sounds more introspective and personal than previous work. This is his first on burgeoning ambient label Past Inside the Present.
Whilst ambient’s popularity has fluctuated over the years, it seems it’s reached something of a healthy stabilization point, with enough interesting music coming out to please the avid follower, and enough to alight new ears. Unfortunately, like many scenes in this post-internet world, it can feel saturated and for artists, a lot harder to stand out from the crowd.
London-based producer and composer Mike Lazarev might not exactly be re-writing the ambient rulebook, but there is enough melodic flourishes, subtle tonal shifts and attention to detail in his third full-length Sacred Tonalities to prove that the genre is more than just the background music it is sometimes written off as, and deserves the listeners full attention (ideally with headphones).
Cyclical synth lines adding some hypnotic patterns ::
Tracks like “Tonality Number Two” gradually evolve and develop, with melodies creeping up on you as they emerge from the wash of orchestral chords and textural FX. Rhythmical elements are not entirely absent from the album, with cyclical synth lines adding some hypnotic patterns to Numbers “Three and Four” respectively, and throughout “Tonality Number Five,” a ghostly kick drum provides the most subtle heart-beat pulse.
Sounding simultaneously natural and digital, Lazarev has expertly blended field recordings and atmospheres with his warm, synthesized compositions resulting in the feeling of one, fluid, organic whole rather than separate elements and layers fighting for space. Although the general mood of the album is melancholic (with the occasional drift into dystopian unease), the beauty in his chord progressions and melodies far from make this a difficult listen, and the moments of darkness never come over contrived. This album will satisfy not just the die-hard ambient fan but anyone who generally enjoys the more emotive side of electronic music, and unlike the lengthy and meandering drones of some of his peers, these tracks never outstay their welcome.
Sacred Tonalities is available on Past Inside the Present. [Bandcamp]
